Triple talaq law to be reviewed by Supreme Court, notice to Centre

Delhi, 23 Aug 2019: The Supreme Court on Friday has decided to examine a batch of petitions that challenge the triple talaq. The top court decision came on the ground that the law was not only disproportionate but also extremely excessive. The Centre has also asked the central government to respond to petitions filed by various groups against the law, formally called the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019. “We will examine this,” a bench of the top court comprising justices NV Ramana and Ajay Rastogi told senior advocate Salman Khurshid, who was appearing for one of the petitioners.

The Supreme Court had rendered instant triple talaq unconstitutional in the Shayara Bano case in August 2017. The Centre had come up with a bill to make instant triple talaq punishable soon after but it got stuck in the Rajya Sabha where the NDA government did not have a majority. In the interim, the “triple talaq” ban was enforced through an ordinance. The bill was finally passed in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Saba after several aborted attempts during the monsoon session.